


Go The Distance

by nerdcredred, Ocelot_l



Series: Lifetimes [43]
Category: Atop the Fourth Wall, That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-03 23:24:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5311043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdcredred/pseuds/nerdcredred, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocelot_l/pseuds/Ocelot_l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the team tries to resume life as normal after their mission, Dan begins his training to stand and fight alongside them, though things don't go as smoothly as he would hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All works can also be found at my LiveJournal page at http://bookishlady242.livejournal.com/
> 
> DISCLAIMER: We do not own the characters, the shows, or the people who portray the characters. This is meant as a work of fiction and is fair use. Please support the creators by watching their videos, letting the ads play, buying their DVDs and merchandise, and/or contributing to their Patreon(s). "Go The Distance" is performed by the Hercules soundtrack.

90s Kid set down his duffle bag and stared around the apartment living room with a fond smile. He hadn’t seen this place in quite some time, thanks to the combination of a three-month mission into a magical sub-universe and a couple weeks spent at Dan’s place, and though he had enjoyed catching up with his boyfriend, 90s Kid had to admit that there was no place like home.

“Mm, something smells good,” he muttered as a delicious aroma wafted out from the kitchen. 90s Kid quickly hurried towards the scent, wondering what scrumptious dish Ninja had created that day, before stopping when he spotted Linkara standing by the stove instead. “Oh,” he said softly, drawing Linkara’s attention. “Hey, dude. I’m back.”

Linkara smiled and nodded toward the teen. “Good to see you again, 90s Kid. I hope your vacation went well.” 

“It was pretty awesome,” 90s Kid admitted. 

“That’s good. I also hope you’re hungry, because this casserole is just about ready to come out of the oven.” 

90s Kid’s stomach rumbled loudly in response and he rubbed it, a bit embarrassed. “Heh, I guess I am pretty hungry.” 

“Well, grab a plate and have a seat.” Linkara smiled before donning some oven mitts and pulling the steamy glass dish from the oven. 

While it cooled, 90s Kid did as instructed, getting not only a plate but a can of soda as well, before sitting down at the table. He felt somewhat odd since he hadn’t expected Linkara to be so friendly upon his arrival home, and he kept waiting for the other man to mention how he should wash his hands before sitting down, or how soda wasn’t the best thing to be drinking at meal time, but Linkara refrained from his usual habits as he set the casserole dish onto the table and took a seat across from 90s Kid. 

“Hand me your plate and I’ll give you the first piece,” Linkara offered. 

90s Kid nodded, silently handing it over and then taking it back, before he forked a small bit of noodles and tuna into his mouth. “Yum.” 

“It’s good?” Linkara looked relieved before taking a bite as well. “I know it’s nowhere near Ninja or Harvey’s level, but with those two out of commission, I wanted to step up and show off my skills.” He took a bite as well before his smile grew even wider. “Heh, not too shabby, if I do say so myself.” 

The two ate in relative silence for a few moments before 90s Kid finally turned his full attention to Linkara. 

“Hey, dude, can we talk? I mean, after we’re done eating, cuz I really love this stuff you made,” he quickly added. 

Linkara’s chewing slowed to a stop and he fixed the teen with a calm expression. “I figured this was coming. You don’t have to wait till we’re done. If you want to talk now, that’s fine with me, I won’t be offended.”

90s Kid nodded and took a moment to snap open his soda, feeling slightly relieved that Linkara didn’t mind discussing things right then. Even though 90s Kid disliked confrontations and felt nervous about discussing certain issues with Linkara, he had a lot that he really needed to get off his chest. 

“So, um...the mission was really totally bogus,” 90s Kid began awkwardly, trying to figure out where to start. 

Linkara nodded, taking another bite of his creation and chewing for a few moments. “That might be the worst one I can remember. Even on the missions where we got a little banged up, it was never to this degree. Well, I suppose Vyce gave me a run for my money, but I’d take a dozen beatings from him if it meant I could spare the rest of you.”

90s Kid took a sip of his soda and felt a blossom of appreciation for the older man sprout in his chest. “That’s really cool of you, Linkara, but none of us would ever be okay with that.”

“Even if it meant not having to face the hardships we did?” Linkara wondered, a look of genuine curiosity on his face. 

“Well, I mean...man, that was a totally bad time,” 90s Kid said softly, shuddering as fleeting memory of being trapped in that universe flashed through his mind. “I don’t remember ever being that lonely, or that tired, or even that...that angry before.” 90s Kid swallowed as his eyes met Linkara’s. They were getting ready to discuss something that had been dwelling in the back of their minds for over two weeks; there was no turning back now. “Dude, you know we gotta talk about what happened,“ 90s Kid began, his voice starting to sound pained. “I know what I did wasn’t the right thing to do, but even then, I didn’t think you would go crazy on me. I never thought, like, in a million years ever, that you would do something like that, Linkara.”

“I never thought I would do that either,” Linkara admitted, his tone heavy with guilt. “I can’t believe I actually...hurt you.” Linkara sighed and set down his fork, his expression morphing into one of shame. “90s Kid, I really can’t apologize enough for hitting you. I know sometimes I act rashly and don’t think enough before doing something, but I have never wanted to hurt someone I consider to be a friend of mine. Even though I want to blame the voices in my head for making me do what I did, I know those were only the last straw. The real matter here is that I was way out of line because I...I wasn’t respectful of you, 90s Kid.” 

90s Kid swallowed another gulp of soda, nodding along slowly as Linkara spoke. “I get what you mean, man. I can be rash and, like, thoughtless about junk too. I don’t mean to do things you don’t like, it just happens. But when you punched me, dude...” 90s Kid paused, touching his now healed eye without even thinking about it. “It was, like...I couldn’t even believe it was you.”

“It was the worst version of myself,” Linkara replied, his eyes also darting to the hand covering 90s Kid’s eye. 

90s Kid shook his head. “Maybe the second-to-worst version,” he said, since in his book the monster that had been called Holokara beat everything when it came to the comic lover. 

Linkara let out a small smile. “Even so, it was still a version of myself that I never want to see again. I want to be a positive role model to you, and the team, and everyone I end up meeting, so I can’t let my anger keep getting the best of me.” 

“You are.” Linkara looked at 90s Kid curiously as the teen started to blush. “I mean, you are a role model, to me anyway. I’ve, like, always looked up to you, Linkara. You’re always so brave and smart and totally awesome when you’re fighting bad guys and saving the world. I...” 90s Kid looked down shyly. “I’ve always wanted to be just like you, Linkara. You’re my biggest hero, even more than Blood Gunn.”

Linkara was normally a very confident person, but hearing 90s Kid’s nearly childlike confession about him caused his cheeks to glow red while his expression grew touched. “That really means a lot to me, 90s Kid...but there’s gotta be a better hero out there for you than me, isn’t there? I mean, you’ve seen first-hand how reckless and stupid I can be.”

Linkara picked at his casserole with his fork a bit aggressively, remembering all the stupid mistakes he’d made in the course of his heroic journeys, but 90s Kid quickly frowned and shook his head. 

“No way, dude. I mean, heroes don’t always do everything right so you shouldn’t beat yourself up for not being perfect either. Sometimes you make mistakes, but you always try to fix them, Linkara. You made things right for that Jaeris dude after messing up his watch, right?”

“I got lucky on that one,” Linkara muttered. 

“It’s not just that time. Whenever somebody you know has a problem you always try to help them,” 90s Kid insisted. Linkara lifted his head, encouraged by the teen’s words, before noticing the look of apprehension 90s Kid now wore. “But, um...there’s kinda some problems I’ve been having with you for a long time, and...I’ve kinda been needing to talk to you about them.” 90s Kid swallowed. “I think when you and I were hitting each other, we were mad about more stuff than just me using the communicator, dude.”

“Yeah.” Linkara swallowed another bite of dinner, his apologetic expression returning. “I know this is going to sound bad, 90s Kid, but please understand that I really do want what’s best for you. That’s probably why I’ve been...struggling to...” 

“You hate Dan, right?” 90s Kid bluntly finished. There was no point in beating around the bush, really. 

Linkara’s eyes widened and he quickly shook his head. “What? No! I don’t hate Dan! I never hated him; I just thought you were better off away from him.” Linkara sighed, sliding his index fingers under his glasses so he could rub his eyes. “I know that probably sounds just as bad to you, but I honestly never thought Dan was terrible person and I swear that I never hated him.”

90s Kid rolled his fork around with his fingers. “Okay, I believe you, and I get that you wanted to protect me, but what I don’t get is why you said so many mean things about Dan after you knew how important he was to me. Even if you thought he was the wrong choice for me, he was the choice I made and I wish you had been cool about it.” 90s Kid set his fork down and stared directly ahead at Linkara. “Even though I look up to you, sometimes I feel like you treat me like a baby, dude. And I’m not a baby. I might need your help sometimes, but I can decide for myself what I want and who I want in my life. So like...can you get that, Linkara?”

Linkara was slightly taken aback by 90s Kid’s sudden surge of confidence, but he felt that it strangely suited the teen very well. He quickly nodded. “I can definitely get that, 90s Kid. I know that I’ve been treating you like a baby sometimes...okay, a lot of times,” he conceded as 90s Kid shot him a look over the top of his sunglasses, something he rarely did. “I wanted to teach you about the world, but I also wanted to protect you from it. You mean a lot to me, 90s Kid, and I don’t mean this in a bad way, but you’re just so...so innocent. You’re so optimistic and happy and kinda naive about things – in a cute way,” he reassured after receiving a glare from across the table, “and even though I can get annoyed with you, there’s never been a day where you can’t bring me up when I feel down.” Now it was 90s Kid’s turn to blush. “So I just wanted to do everything I could to make sure that nothing and nobody could hurt you and risk changing all those things about you. I know I can go about showing it in a really weird way, but I care about you a lot, 90s Kid. You’re like a little brother to me and I just want what’s best for you.”

90s Kid’s mouth fell open a little, his body trembling lightly. He had always hoped and dreamed of being brothers with Linkara, but hearing the words actually spoken from the man himself left him stunned. 

“Dude, I…it really means a lot to hear you say that,“ he managed to get out, his hand gripping his soda can so tightly it started to dent in between his fingers. “Cuz I totally see you as an older brother, Linkara, especially after you helped me and let me crash with you and everything... so I’m really, totally happy that you feel like that too.” 90s Kid set his can down then and once again met Linkara’s gaze. “But lately you’ve, um, you’ve kinda been acting more like my mom than my brother.” 

Linkara grimaced a bit. “Yeah, you’re right. I know I can be demanding and bossy, but I promise all that is behind me.“ His expression changed into one of determination. “You’re an adult, 90s Kid. You know what you’re doing and you know who you want to do it with, and it’s time for me to respect that. You love Dan and he loves you, and I know you both are happy, so I’m not going to do anything to make you feel like I think otherwise. I’m still going to look out for you, but I’m going to step back and let you take care of yourself, because I know you’re able to do that now.” Linkara shot 90s Kid his warmest smile. “I really am proud of you, 90s Kid.”

90s Kid felt so touched by Linkara’s words that he couldn’t help jumping up from the table and rushing over to give the older man a hug. “Dude! Thank you!” he cried out, too overcome with emotion to say anything more than that. He wasn’t used to hearing people say that they were proud of him, and to hear it from Linkara, the man he’d admired for so many years, was enough to set his heart alight. 

Linkara laughed and hugged the teen back. “You’re welcome, 90s Kid.” Linkara suddenly glanced over toward the doorway. “As for you, Harvey, are you going to just stand there all evening, or are you going to come enjoy some of my casserole?” 

90s Kid looked up in surprise when Harvey suddenly stepped into the room, his smile brightening even more. “Harvey-dude! I didn’t know you were home!” 

“Welcome back, Junior,” Harvey said, squeezing 90s Kid’s shoulder as he walked past him to grab a plate from the cabinets. “It’s good to see you home. Almost as good as seeing the two of you patching things up.” 

“So, you were eavesdropping,” Linkara said, shooting Harvey a playful smirk. “Have you learned nothing from my mistakes?”

“Sorry, Kid,” Harvey replied with a smile of his own. “I smelt something good from my room and came down to investigate. I never meant to spy on you two.”

“It’s cool,” 90s Kid said with a shrug, still too happy to let anything get him down right now. “Come and eat with us, Harvey-dude.”

“I couldn’t want anything more,” Harvey said with complete sincerity, a grin slowly spreading across his face as he poured himself a glass of iced tea and sat down at the table. Linkara placed a plate of the casserole in front of him before taking his own seat and Harvey took a moment to gaze at both men fondly. “So, since there ain’t really any point to pretending I didn’t hear, are you boys okay now?” 

Linkara and 90s Kid nodded in unison, smiling softly at each other across the table. “Yeah, everything’s fine now. 90s Kid and I have said our peace and you won’t have to worry about anything like that fight we had happening again. I’m gonna respect his adulthood and his relationship with Dan, and I’m finally gonna let him start growing up.”

“I’ve already been growing up,” 90s Kid joked softly and Linkara smiled. 

“You’re right, you’re right. And I promise I’ll remember that, 90s Kid. By the way, you should invite Dan over for dinner again soon. I realize that I was kind of being a jerk when I was trying to make Ted feel welcome here and I wanna make up for that.” 

90s Kid and Harvey both looked to him in surprise when they heard that, not expecting Linkara to make such an offer, or to even consciously realize what he’d done. “Dude, that’s-that’s really totally nice of you,” 90s Kid stammered, his cheeks turning pink against his will. “I’m sure Dan would totally like that, dude. Ted should come too, since he and I are cool now.”

“I think another group dinner with both Dan and Ted would be just swell,” Harvey agreed. 

“Well let’s not delay an opportunity to taste more of Harvey’s cooking,” Linkara replied. “I’ll invite them both over this weekend, if that’s okay with you, Harvey.”

“It’s fine with me, Kid.” Harvey then turned to Linkara and flashed him a cheeky grin. “However, if you’re expecting more high-class grub from me, I’m gonna need the highest quality ingredients, so, uh, you’ll be lending me your credit card, right?” 

Linkara stared back at Harvey, unamused. “Maybe I’ll ask Ninja to cook this time.” 

90s Kid giggled as he watched the two banter back and forth as they determined what exactly to serve for dinner, before he finished the last of his meal. Linkara, while continuing to argue that lobster was not what most people ate at a family dinner, watched fondly as he carried his dishes to the sink, washed them, and put them away. 90s Kid really had grown up and Linkara knew he could trust him more than ever before.

90s Kid turned back to the table and leaned against the counter, smiling as he watched Linkara and Harvey bicker with each other affectionately, and soon he found himself starting to giggle again. The giggling started slowly in the back of his throat, but soon it was picking up speed and volume before he even realized it, and he leaned hard against the counter as he began to laugh outright. Harvey and Linkara turned to 90s Kid curiously, their argument halted. 

“What’s so funny, 90s Kid?” 90s Kid reached up to adjust his sunglasses and shook his head, taking a few deep breaths. 

“Oh, nothing, dude. Nothing was funny, it’s just...I’m so happy we’re all home, y’know?” 90s Kid looked away, blushing again as he didn’t usually open himself up like this in front of the people he admired most. “It’s really good to have stuff get back to normal again. I missed eating with you guys and hearing you argue about silly old couple junk and being, like...a family and stuff.”

“Aw, just for that, I’ll forget you called us old.” Harvey said, trying not to sound as choked up as he was felt as he stood up from the table with his own dish. 

Linkara rose too, and after he placed his dish next to the sink, he grabbed 90s Kid in a hug. 

“We’re always gonna be a family, 90s Kid. Where else am I gonna find someone who shares my knack for giving long-winded speeches?” 90s Kid gripped back and found himself grinning wider than he ever had before as Harvey wrapped his arms around both of them. 

“You two are the best. Welcome home, kids.”


	2. Chapter 2

90s Kid looked over to Dan as they teleported onto the main deck of Comicron-1 with slight apprehension on his face. “Okay, dude. We’re here. You feeling okay?” 

In contrast to 90s Kid’s nervous energy, Dan was exuding nothing but calm cheerfulness as he looked around the ship in awe.

“Wow, Kid, this place is incredible! I’ve never been inside a real spaceship before! I feel like I’m in an episode of _Star Trek_!” Dan’s mood only seemed to make 90s Kid’s worsen and he reached to take the older man’s hand automatically.

“Come on, Dan. It’s this way.” 

Dan seemed to realize that 90s Kid was not as excited as he was, so he squeezed his hand gently as they walked through the massive interior of the ship. 

“It’s alright, sweetie. You don’t have to worry about me. I just know everything will be fine and that the good doctor will give me a clean bill of health.” 

90s Kid nodded in response, though choose to stay silent, until at last they reached the door to Linksano’s lab. “We’re here,” he called out, bouncing on the heels of his feet impatiently as he waited for the scientist to appear. 

Thankfully Linksano was quick to answer the door and usher them inside. “I’m glad to see you’re on time since I have a very busy schedule today,” he informed the two as he went to grab a manilla folder filled with various papers. “Dan, would you please remove your jacket and shirt and have a seat on the table for me? I’ll be starting the exam shortly. As for you, 90s Kid-” 

“I wanna stay,” 90s Kid blurted out, looking directly at Linksano as he spoke. “Dan said I could, so I’m gonna.” 

“It’s true,” Dan agreed. 

Linksano sighed before nodding. “Alright, I suppose if the patient is agreeable then I will allow it.” Linksano finished gathering his supplies and turned back toward Dan. “Now first I will-what are you doing?” Linksano’s cheeks automatically heated up when he noticed Dan was wearing nothing but his boxers. 

“I’m just getting undressed for the physical,“ Dan replied, his fingers curling around the waistband of his shorts. “Should I take these off too?” 

“No! There is no need to do that, thank you! J-just sit down on the table and don’t do anything else!” 

“Alrighty!” While Linksano took a moment to compose himself, Dan settled onto the exam table while 90s Kid took his place at Dan’s side, his expression somewhat more intense than usual.

Linksano cleared his throat and focused on arranging his instruments, trying to get himself to slip into the calm, professional state he always entered when practicing medicine. “Yes, this looks set. Very well. Let’s begin.” Linksano picked up his clipboard, where he’d set the contents of the folder, and a pencil. “First I’d like to ask you some questions about the state of your diet and any current exercise regimens you might be undergoing.” 

“No problem!” Dan answered cheerfully. “I don’t have an exercise program right now, so we can skip that part!” 

Linksano raised an eyebrow. “When would you say is the last time you exercised?” 

Dan scratched his goatee for a moment as he thought. “Hmm. I’d say high school, probably.”

Linksano shuddered a bit as he made a notation on his clipboard. “If your high school career was anything like mine, I offer my sincerest condolences.“ Linksano looked to Dan again. “Alright, so it seems that you haven’t had any recent experience with exercise, but that does not disqualify you from getting back into shape. Now, as for your diet, what would you say you eat in a typical day?” 

“Let’s see,“ Dan mused as he thought. “In the morning, I usually have a thing or two of coffee while I read the funny pages.” 

“Two cups of coffee is okay. What else?” 

“Pots, not cups.”

“...I see.” 

“Then, if Dolly hasn’t picked up anything from the 7-11 for me, I’ll crack open a box of donuts. That usually tides me over til dinner time, if I remember it is indeed dinner time, and when I do, I root around in the fridge and eat whatever I can find. Oh, sometimes when we run out of bread, I use the donuts instead to make sandwiches and-”

“On second thought, why don’t we skip the rest of your eating habits for now?“ Linksano interjected as politely as he could, though he was beginning to look a bit concerned. “I’ll be sure to prepare a list of dietary improvements for you. For now, I believe we should prepare for the physical examination.” 

Linksano removed his leather gloves and snapped on latex examination gloves, trying to ignore Dan’s sudden grin at his statement. He warily turned his eyes on Dan’s body, which he had been trying to ignore until this point, and then his eyebrows lifted in surprise as he took in the state of Dan’s physique. Even though his usual outfit of layers concealed it well, Dan seemed to be thin and almost rather bony, looking more like a skinny teenager with an adult’s face rather than what his body type should be.

90s Kid seemed to notice the change in Linksano’s expression and he quickly said, “Dan sometimes has a hard time remembering to eat, or remembering to not eat junk food, and I know a lot of that is my fault cuz I love junk food and sometimes I don’t remember to check on him, but from now on I’m totally gonna make sure he eats good and exercises a lot!” 

Linksano frowned slightly and wrote a few things down on his papers, before he looked to 90s Kid. “It’s alright, 90s Kid, there’s no need for anyone to be upset. Dan can certainly make improvements to his lifestyle that will help him not only look better but feel better, and I know you will be a major factor in that area.” 

“I totally will,” 90s Kid agreed, his eyes roving over Dan’s skinny form as well. 

Dan smiled up at him. “Thanks, Kid. I promise I’ll become much healthier from now on.” 

90s Kid seemed to settle down a little after this and he watched quietly as Linksano strapped a blood pressure cuff around Dan’s arm. After a couple pumps of the bulb, Linksano studied the gauge and made a few soft noises before writing the results down as well. 90s Kid and Dan shared a shrug before Linksano removed the cuff and pulled out a stethoscope. 

“I’ll try my best to warm this up for you,” he said as he rubbed it against a towel he also pulled from his medical bag. “That should do it. Now, please take in a deep breath for me.” Linksano placed the metal end against Dan’s chest, listening to his heartbeat for a moment. He didn’t make any comments, though 90s Kid saw his eyebrow knit together, slowly moving the end of the stethoscope to a few more areas of Dan’s chest, and then to his back, while asking him to breathe in and out several more times. 

Once he was done, Linksano picked up his notes and strode across the room, writing for a few minutes silently, before he glanced back over at the two. “Dan, just to clarify, you are a smoker?” 

“A casual one, yes.” Dan said with a nod. 

“Do you drink?“ 

“Once in a while.” 

“And you, um, well you-” 

“He doesn’t use drugs anymore.” 90s Kid interjected sharply.

“Right.” Linksano turned back to his notes for another minute before lowering his pen. He picked up the scanner he often used to diagnose illness or injury and ran it across Dan’s chest before turning once again to study the results. “As I thought,” he murmured, his lips tightening into a thin line.

“What did you think?” 90s Kid asked, unable to stand the silence any longer.

Linksano let out a soft sigh. “Your decision to clean up was a wise one, Dan, but I’m afraid it may not have been soon enough.” Dan and 90s Kid went slightly rigid at this news and Linksano gave them a serious look that neither of them liked. “Dan, you seem determined to join the ranks of this team and I am not going to stop you. However, I am going to speak frankly with you, for if you are serious, you should know that-” Linksano was then cut off by the sound of someone materializing inside the lab. 

“Linksano, did you finish those progress reports on the pocket knife prototype-” Linkara cut himself off abruptly and his face colored in embarrassment as he realized he was intruding on Dan’s physical. “Oh crap! I forgot this was-I was just getting-I didn’t mean to barge in! Sorry!” 

Linkara usually never got this flustered but he did not enjoying walking in on practically nude people, especially when those people were Dan. He was trying his best to be friends with the guy but he still had limits. Some of Linkara’s embarrassment faded when his eyes actually processed Dan’s body, eyes which became rather worried as he took everything in. 

“Huh, you’re really pale and, um, thinner than I realized. Have you been sick?” he asked, trying to come off as sympathetic rather than intrusive.

“No, I just usually look like this,” Dan replied, glancing down at his body with an unconcerned expression. “The coke really kept the pounds off and even though I stopped, my metabolism hasn’t quite readjusted yet.”

“I see,” Linkara replied, his worried expression becoming more pronounced. 

90s Kid instinctively stepped in front of Dan and turned to Linkara. “I know it looks kinda bad, but Dan really isn’t in that bad of a shape. He’s, like, totally gonna work on his diet and exercise more so he can bulk up and get stronger, just like the rest of us do. He might be a little skinny and pale now, but it’s totally not a big deal and he’s gonna get better, so you don’t have to worry, dude.“ 

“90s Kid, I wish I could agree with you, but there’s something we need to talk about,” Linksano said softly. “Let me just tend to Linkara and then we can get back to our discussion.” 

“You can say it in front of him,” Dan said, kicking his legs out a little. “He’s the team leader, right? He should probably know if there’s anything wrong with me.” 

“That’s really okay,” Linkara said with a shake of his head. “Whatever it is, I trust that Linksano has a solution to it, so I’ll let you get back to this and come back later.” With that, Linkara teleported from the room, leaving the three men to their discussion once again. 

Dan reached for 90s Kid’s hand this time and he smiled at the teen. “Don’t worry, Kid. I told you, I’ll be fine.” After 90s Kid nodded, Dan looked to Linksano. “What is it, doc?” 

“I’m afraid that your years of drug use have significantly damaged your heart, Dan,” Linksano explained in a gentle tone. “I’m worried that you attempting any strenuous activities might lead you to have a heart attack, or worse.” 

Dan winced as 90s Kid squeezed his hand so tightly it hurt but the younger man was too busy staring at Linksano to notice. 

“W-what? That can’t be right! Dan isn’t sick or tired all the time! He can totally do junk like run around or wrestle and stuff, and he’s never had heart pain or anything!”

“It doesn’t work that way, 90s Kid,” Linksano told him, still trying to sound as gentle as possible while breaking the news to the pair. “The activities you and Dan engage in aren’t strenuous enough to warrant any significant strain on his heart, but the kind of training we undergo will be much heavier than your typical outings to the park. People with heart defects can lead healthy, normal lives, but they need to be watchful of how much they exert themselves. I fear that this kind of rigorous exercise or a difficult training simulation may be too much for Dan’s heart to handle.” 

“But-but-“ 90s Kid stammered, still clinging to Dan’s hand and now looking panicked and flustered. “Dan can totally get healthy! He can totally start g-getting healthier and-and making his body stronger, so his heart can totally get better! R-right? Dan c-can’t be that sick…right?” 

Linksano’s chest tightened and he found it difficult to continue looking at 90s Kid’s face when he was in this state, but forced himself to do so. “I’m afraid not, 90s Kid. If Dan paces himself and slowly manages to build up his tolerance for physical activities, then his body will grow healthier and he might be able to do all that we currently do. However, that doesn’t mean the damage to his heart will go away. He could be in perfect physical shape, but the constant years of drug abuse caused scarring inside him that can’t be reversed.” 

90s Kid was beginning to tremble, his lower lip quivering, and Dan was now staring at the floor, his skin turning an even paler shade, so Linksano cleared his throat. “Now, I don’t mean to frighten you two with this information, I’m merely trying to show you just how serious you need to take this decision. This doesn’t mean that Dan can’t undergo training; it only means that Dan will need to go at a slow pace and monitor himself very carefully. I will speak to Ninja-Style Dancer and ensure he knows not to put you through too much when he forms an exercise regiment for you. I also have other things that may be of assistance.” 

Linksano rummaged through a drawer until he found the device he was looking for, then went to a glass cabinet and withdrew a small, unlabeled pill bottle. “I’ve been formulating an experimental new drug that I’m hoping will revolutionize modern cardiovascular medicine,” Linksano explained as he showed them a bottle full of small, blue pills. “These pills can’t reverse the damage done to your heart, but it can protect it from further damage and hopefully increase your stamina without causing too much strain. Take them twice a day with food and inform me immediately if you have any kind of side effects.” Linksano held up the other device. “This is a heart and pulse monitor. Wear it while you’re exercising and keep a close eye on it.” He placed his finger on the gauge of the device. “If your heart or pulse rate rises above this level, cease exercising immediately and rest. Don’t continue any more activities until the next day at most. Do you understand, Dan?”

Dan looked slowly from the pills to the monitor before he turned back to 90s Kid, who was doing his best to keep his composure. He tightened his expression and took the teen’s hand again, squeezing it gently. “I understand, doc. I know what I have to do and if this is the best means for me to do it, then I am going to commit one hundred percent. You hear that, Kid?”

90s Kid started at the sound of his name before swiftly looking down to Dan. “Are you sure, dude?” he asked, his voice quivering with hesitancy. “Y-you still wanna do all this even knowing what we do?” 

“I’m sure that I never want to be left behind when you’re on a mission again,” Dan replied calmly, his fingers curling even more tightly around 90s Kid’s. “If swallowing a few pills and wearing this thing is what it takes, then I’m game.” 

90s Kid let out a small smile, proud to see Dan’s determination in spite of this news. “And you promise you’ll remember to do all this junk?” 

“I promise.” Dan agreed. 

“Then let’s do it.” 

“Very good. I’m always glad to hear-ahh!”

Linksano let out a small squawk when he found himself suddenly pulled into a hug by 90s Kid. “Thanks so much for everything, Linksano-dude! You’re totally the best doctor ever!”

“Hey, make room in that hug for me!“ Dan cried, hopping up from the examination table and heading directly toward the two with a huge smile on his face. 

“W-wait! For the love of SCIENCE put your clothes on first!”

“Sorry doc, but I just can’t wait to express my gratitude for a smart cookie like you!“ Dan exclaimed as he wrapped his bare arms around the scientist, which caused Linksano to squawk once again before wriggling out of their grasp. 

“Th-that is quite enough! If you wish to thank me you can do so by getting into your clothes and retreating from the lab this instant!” 

90s Kid waited for Dan to dress before he wrapped his arm around him and reached for his teleporter. “Thanks again, Linksano-dude! We’ll totally catch up with you later!” 

90s Kid pushed the button and they materialized in the teen’s bedroom. Once they were alone, the sudden burst of enthusiasm which had shot through 90s Kid’s body died down, leaving only the fear, which had never left. 90s Kid sagged against Dan for a moment as he caught his breath, hugging Dan’s body close to him. He was still very shaken over the news of Dan’s condition. He knew that Dan’s body wasn’t in the best shape, but to hear Linksano outright say his heart was damaged frightened him. 

Dan felt 90s Kid’s distress and wrapped his arms around his fiancé, trying to comfort the both of them. “I’m really sorry, Kid,” he said with a guilty sigh. “If I hadn’t been so reckless all my life I wouldn’t be worrying you like this.”

“Don’t,” 90s Kid said, wrapping his arms more tightly around the smaller man. “I know you weren’t trying to hurt yourself, so let’s not get upset about what happened in the past. We’re here now, and now we need to stay positive. You’re gonna eat better, exercise, take those pills, and become the healthiest, strongest, best member of the team ever.” 

Even though Dan would never have thought any of those things about himself, hearing them spoken in 90s Kid’s loving tone made him start to believe that perhaps one day, he really could be all of those things. Even if he couldn’t, he was damn well going to try. 

“Thanks, Kid,” he said, nuzzling against his chest warmly. “I can always count on you to believe in me.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Dan teleported into the base bright and early, where 90s Kid was waiting for him. The teen was already showered and dressed in anticipation of Dan’s arrival; for today was when his training was due to formally begin. He smiled and welcomed Dan into his arms for a warm hug and kiss.

“Morning, Dan.” 

“Good morning, sweetie.” The two kissed for a minute before pulling back. 

“You ready to start today, Dan? Did you do all the stuff Linksano told you to?” 

Dan nodded, smiling. “I sure did, sweetie. I took my medicine and had a good breakfast, so I’m ready to tackle anything today!” 

“Awesome!” 90s Kid gave Dan another squeeze before they exited his room and went down to the living room. “Oh, dude, I meant to ask you something. Do you, like, have a weapon that you want to use during training? Cuz we totally get to do, like, shooting drills and stuff! Those are my favorite drills ever!”

Dan chuckled and pulled back his jacket to pull a gun out of his waistband. “Well, I don’t have anything as impressive as you do, Kid, but I do have this trusty .45 I bought to complete my Sonny Crockett ensemble.” 

That wasn’t the actual reason Dan bought the gun, but he wanted to keep things light today, since the stress of yesterday’s physical still hung heavy on both their minds. Dan handed the gun to 90s Kid, who wasted no time in opening the chamber and examining the inside of it. Almost immediately he began to frown. 

“Dude, when was the last time you cleaned this thing?”

“I don’t think it’s been cleaned since I bought it.” 

“You can totally tell. I’m surprised you were able to get this thing to fire properly, it’s all gunked up.” Dan began to look embarrassed and 90s Kid quickly leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Don’t sweat it, dude! I’m the king of this stuff, and I’ll totally make it better than new. Just lemme go get my stuff, okay?” 

Dan watched with interest as 90s Kid ran upstairs and came back with a large case; soon he was sitting beside 90s Kid on the couch, watching as he dismantled each piece of the gun and began to clean them. 

“Wow, Kid, that didn’t take you long at all,” Dan exclaimed in surprise. “I had no idea how to take that thing apart, let alone how to put it back together.” 

90s Kid grinned. “Dude, I’m totally the best at this stuff. I can take apart the BFG and the chain gun and put ’em back together in less than a minute blindfolded. Linksano timed me and he totally had to pay me twenty bucks after,” he revealed before giggling at the memory.

“Wow, Kid, that’s very impressive.” Dan continued to watch as 90s Kid efficiently cleaned and cared for his gun, his fingers flying through the air, his brows knit together in intense concentration. There was something almost...sexy about the way he moved so effortlessly, cleaning what was filthy, fixing what was broken. In fact, it was sexy...it was damn sexy. Before he even knew what he was doing, Dan had wrapped his arms around 90s Kid’s shoulders and was kissing his cheeks fervently. 

“Huh? D-Dan, hehehe, what are you doing?” 90s Kid asked, giggling as Dan’s lips started to land upon his jaw and neck. 

“Mmm, Kid, I just love the way you work,” Dan murmured, trying to pull the teen even closer to him. “You’re amazing at that, just like you’re amazing at everything you do.”

“Aww, thanks-Dan!” 90s Kid’s giggles grew louder but he tried to bite down on his lip so that his apartment-mates wouldn’t hear. “Dude, I-I can’t work when you’re kissing me, ehehe!” 

“You’ve already got the whole thing practically assembled anyway,” Dan said, tilting 90s Kid’s chin so that he was looking directly into Dan’s adoring eyes. “Can’t you take a short break just once?”

“I, um, well...okay fine.” 90s Kid dropped the gun pieces onto the table and pulled Dan into his arms, kissing him firmly on the lips. The two continued to smooch for a few minutes until the sound of someone clearing his throat caused them both to jump a foot into the air. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Linkara said, looking down at both of them in amusement. “I thought I’d find 90s Kid teaching you about gun repair, but apparently there was another lesson in progress.”

“Uh, sorry Linkara,“ 90s Kid said quickly, flushed with embarrassment and slight shame at being caught like this. “I just kinda got distracted because, uh-” 

Linkara surprised them both by chuckling. “Relax, 90s Kid, it’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve caught you and Dan making out and it won’t be the last. Is the gun almost finished?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I just gotta finish with these other bits, but it’ll just take a second.” 90s Kid responded, a little confused as to why Linkara was taking things so well. Dan seemed surprised too, and felt a little sheepish about allowing himself to get so carried away. If he was going to prove himself to Linkara, then he needed to stop this juvenile behavior. He could certainly do that...maybe.

90s Kid focused on cleaning the remaining parts and quickly put the pieces back together again before handing the gun over to Dan. “All done! It should work, like, a ton better now.” 

Dan grinned and examined the gun in his hands, noticing that it felt much lighter than it had before. “Thanks, Kid. I’m glad I had the best repair person to fix it up for me.” 

“You’ve got that right,” Linkara joined in, causing 90s Kid to blush again. “90s Kid’s built or fixed up every weapon we’ve got, so I know we can rely on him when the heat is on.”

“Thanks, man. I’m totally glad when I can help the team.” 90s Kid was almost giddy with delight thanks to the praise he was receiving, which made Dan feel just as happy in turn. 

“So anyway, 90s Kid, when you get a free moment, would you mind coming along with me for a little bit?” 

“Oh, but I thought I was supposed to help Dan with his training?” 90s Kid asked, looking to Linkara in slight confusion. 

“You will,“ Linkara assured him. “This shouldn’t take long. I just need to explain something to you. Something important.“ Linkara raised his eyebrows slightly and 90s Kid made a sound of understanding. 

“Oh, right. Yeah, dude, I’m coming.” 90s Kid turned to Dan then with an apologetic smile. “Sorry Dan, I have to go with Linkara now. I swear I’ll be back really soon.” 

“That’s okay, sweetie,“ Dan said with a smile. “You take all the time you need and I’ll be-” 

*Training with me.* Dan almost jumped another foot when he saw Ninja appear before his eyes without warning, but he managed to control himself. 

“Why, good morning my black-clad friend. I am glad to be in such capable hands.” 

Ninja grinned and put a hand on Dan’s shoulder. *Let’s not waste any time then.* With that, the two vanished from the room, appearing moments later inside the Holodeck of Comicron-1.

Dan looked around the room with interest, his giddiness rising once more as he felt like he was being immersed inside an 80s science-fiction show. “What room is this?” 

*This is the Holodeck* Ninja held up, observing as Dan’s eyes darted around the room with amusement, before making sure that he was looking at his cards. *We use the Holodeck to perform training simulations, at varying degrees of difficulty. Depending on the difficulty level, you will encounter various obstacles which must be overcome, be they humans, robots, projectiles, or terrain.* Dan looked slightly dazed as he read those words and Ninja smiled. *Do not worry. Even though training can be painful at times, none of the simulations are life-threatening. We will be able to halt anything that could cause you substantial harm, but it is still imperative that you know how to avoid it.* Ninja’s face turned serious once again. *Linksano informed me about your medical requirements. Do you have your heart monitor with you?* 

Dan quickly nodded, pulling it out of his pocket and attaching it to his body. “I’ve got it right here! It’s still a little hard to get used to, but I’m not going to give up. I want to do everything I can to help the team.” 

Ninja nodded. *I am very aware of that, Dan. I will start you off at a beginner’s pace and I want you to be up front with me about how your body is feeling. If your monitor goes off or if you are feeling too fatigued, inform me immediately.*

Dan nodded again. “I will definitely give you the 4-1-1, my friend. I know my ticker isn’t in the best shape, and I don’t want to do anything that will risk it giving out on me.” 90s Kid’s face flashed through Dan’s mind and he tapped the side of the monitor with one finger, confident that it would do its job and keep him safe and sound. 

Ninja seemed to approve of this so he pulled out a new card. *Alright, Dan, let’s begin. Stand with your feet together and lace your fingers together. Then place your arms over your head and focus on the feeling of your arms, legs, and torso growing in length.* 

Dan complied and closed his eyes as he imagined his body expanding in length. After a moment he opened them again to see the next of Ninja’s cards. 

*Good. Now slowly bend to your left and hold that position for five seconds. Then do the same for your right side.* 

After a minute of this, Ninja asked Dan to focus on slowly rotating and lengthening his neck, arms, shoulders, back, upper body, legs and ankles. By the time he told Dan to take a break, the older man had already worked up a light sweat. 

“Boy, that was quite the work-out,” he said before happily accepting the bottle of water Ninja offered him. “The only quads I’d ever heard of before today were the ones where high schoolers matriculated.” Dan glanced down at his monitor before smiling. “It seems like our first work-out session has kept my heartbeat at normal levels. I guess that means we’re ready for step two.” 

Ninja flashed Dan an amused expression. *I’m sorry to break this to you, Dan, but that was merely the warm up stretching part of the morning. The actual workout hasn’t started yet.* 

“Oh.” Dan felt a bit sheepish and took another sip of water, trying to hide his embarrassed expression for a moment. “I guess there’s no point in talking anymore, so let’s get onto the real first session.” 

Ninja nodded, wanting to spare him any more embarrassment, and held up a new card. 

*Here is your first mission, Dan. You have been sent into unknown and unsecure territory by yourself. You have only one pistol and a communicator in your possession.* 

As Ninja spoke, the environment around them began to change, and soon Dan found himself standing in the middle of a strange jungle with plants and birds he’d never seen before. He looked down in surprise and found a small silver gun holstered at his waist, the communicator hanging right beside it. 

*This is a peaceful, reconnaissance mission, Dan. Your only job is to arrive at the beacon in the distance as quickly as possible.* A sudden bright burst of red light appeared in the sky some distance from where Dan stood. *On my signal, you will begin your journey to the beacon. Try to arrive as quickly as possible, but without overtaxing your body and without taking receiving injury from possible obstacles. Do you understand, Dan?* Dan nodded and arched his body into position. He was ready to fly to that beacon, no matter what obstacle stood in his way. *On your mark. Get set. Go!*

Dan took off at a run, already full of adrenaline as he received his first instructions. This was just like his favorite 80s action movies, and he was going to be the hero just like he’d always imagined. He looked toward the light in the distance with a grin on his face, scurrying like a deer through a forest, before he felt a small pain in his chest and his legs jerked. 

“Ahh!” Dan gripped at his chest and slowed his steps, feeling a dart of panic rise up in his stomach before he pushed it back down. He couldn’t let a pain that small stop him, but he didn’t want to push himself too hard and ruin the mission from the very start. Dan wanted 90s Kid to be proud of him. He took a moment to picture 90s Kid’s smiling face once again before moving along at a slightly slower but still swift pace. As he jogged, he paused whenever he heard strange sounds around him. At first they came intermittently, before becoming more prominent, until finally Dan heard a great rustling in the bushes directly behind him. He whirled to face whatever was causing the commotion, taking a step back when he heard a loud, rumbling roar.

“What the heck?” Suddenly a strange being the likes of which Dan had never seen before appeared in front of Dan. It was human-like but pale blue and had some sort of weird horn-like objects protruding from its face. None of this particularly bothered Dan, but the fact that the being was holding some sort of white gun and pointing it at his chest did. 

Without even thinking about it, Dan withdrew his own pistol, aimed it at the being, and fired off three shots. The being went down like a sandbag and Dan let out a victory laugh as he hopped over its fallen body. 

“You want to be dead? Bang, you’re dead,” he cried as he charged ahead at an even quicker pace. Dan was in the habit of quoting from _Miami Vice_ whenever he pulled his gun out, so he couldn’t stop the line from slipping past his lips. The pain in his chest flared up again, a bit more pronounced this time, but Dan was so close to the beacon now that he refused to stop. 

He managed to zig-zag around a few projectiles that came soaring through the air toward him, feeling a bit of wind as whatever kinds of bullets they were whizzed past his face, and stretched out one arm in triumph as the source of the beacon, a flare gun mounted inside a knot in a tree, entered his field of vision. 

“Almost...almost...got it!” Dan’s fingers closed around the flare gun and he held it up into the air, before quickly lowering his arm and leaning forward as he sucked in several breaths. “Hah…hah...nailed it...” 

Ninja quickly appeared at his side, setting a hand on Dan’s shoulder in concern. *Dan, are you alright? Your monitor seems to be beeping slightly.*

“I’m...I’m fine...” Dan panted, leaning against his knees as he struggled to get himself back under control. “Just...hah...hah... need to...catch my...breath...” 

Ninja didn’t look convinced. *Are you sure, Dan? Do I need to ask Linksano or 90s Kid to come over and check on you?* 

“N-no!” Dan protested, swallowing and trying to choose his words carefully. He didn’t want to make 90s Kid and the others worried before there was any need for them to be, and he didn’t want to admit that he couldn’t even get through the first mission without suffering any pain. “Really, I’m okay. Just been a while for me, that’s all. No need to worry about me, because I’m just fine!” 

Dan made himself smile and Ninja’s arched brow rose a centimeter. *I seem to recall telling you that this was a peaceful mission, Dan. You likely would have gotten through it faster if you had merely dodged and not stopped to shoot.*

“I...I...what?” Dan scrunched his nose up in confusion for a moment before he remembered the blue being he had mowed down with his pistol. It had happened so quickly that he’d almost mistaken it for a fleeting daydream he’d had while running. “Oh. Um, I just...I wanted to get here on time,” Dan tried to explain, not particularly thrilled with the look Ninja was giving him at the moment. 

*I can understand that, but the point of this exercise was not to run to this beacon in a set time limit. It was to give me a basic understanding of your physical abilities, your reflexes, and the actions you’d take while under fire. I have learned quite a lot* Ninja noted, holding up a clipboard that was covered in scribbles. 

Dan squinted, trying to get a glance at his notes, but found to his dismay that Ninja had written them all in Japanese. “So I guess I’m not passing the class with an A?” he joked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. 

Ninja’s eyes narrowed slightly. *I should think not. In fact, I’m actually considering sending you to the infirmary for the rest of the day.* 

“No!” Dan blurted out, before he closed his eyes and took a few breaths, trying to calm himself down. “I mean, please don’t send me away already, Ninja. I know I messed up. I just wanted to be fast and...and I wanted to show you that I won’t let you down when you need me. Please give me another chance.” Dan clasped his hands together in a pitiful plea and Ninja silently sighed. 

*Alright. Take some time to rest and get your heart-rate back under control, and then we will try another task. If you fail to consider your health first this time, though, I will be sending you to Linksano immediately. Do you understand?* 

“Thank you, my acrobatic friend!” Dan cried as he nodded fervently at the ninja. “I understand completely! I will not let you down at all next time!” 

Ninja accepted his words with a nod and handed Dan another bottle of water before walking away to scribble more on his clipboard. Dan gulped the cool beverage happily before clenching the bottle in his hands. _“Okay, you can do this. You can show them all that you’re not a screw-up. You won’t make 90s Kid worry about you. You can do this, Dan.”_


	4. Chapter 4

Once Dan had rested and his pulse had returned to a level that was to Ninja’s satisfaction, the fighter snapped his fingers and the surroundings of the Holodeck changed. Dan blinked his eyes and marveled at how they appeared to be in a meadow, the air and bushes around them smelling just as fresh as they would outside. Actually, they weren’t quite bushes, but more an enormous hedge maze that made Dan almost dizzy just at the sight of it.

In front of the maze was a bevy of weapons and supplies, which quickly drew Dan’s attention. However, he was very eager to prove himself and make up for his past mistakes, so he forced his gaze away from the items and paid very careful attention to Ninja’s instructions. 

*For your next task, you are to find your way to the middle of this maze as quickly as possible. You may choose whatever you need from this array of objects, but you are only allowed to use these provided objects for this particular task. Are you clear on what you need to do, Dan?*

“Yes sir!“ Dan cried, saluting Ninja happily. He was not going to screw up this time. 

*Alright, then please select your items and let me know when you are ready to begin.* 

Dan walked over to the array objects and studied them carefully for a moment. There were guns of every shape and size, from tiny pea shooters to enormous rocket launchers, several laser blasters, ropes, flare guns, compasses, food, and water among the piles. 

“This should do it.” Ignoring the guns outright this time, Dan selected a compass, a group of large red markers shaped like flags that stood around seven feet tall, a knapsack, and a bottle of water. After stowing the water in the knapsack and sliding it onto his back, Dan picked up the markers and the compass. “Okay, Ninja, I’m ready.” 

Ninja remained silent as he looked toward the maze, watching it until a hole appeared in the bushes directly before Dan, creating a doorway for him. 

*You may begin now.* 

Dan walked through the hole at a leisurely pace and headed straight until he came to a fork in the path. After a moment’s thought, he turned right and walked until he came to a dead end. “It’s not this way,” Dan muttered as he headed back to the fork, planting one of his markers into the ground directly in front of the right path. “So it must be the left!” 

Dan continued along like this, checking his compass every now and then, and marking off every wrong path he came to, while also pausing to drink from his water bottle every so often. Eventually, the winding path led him into the heart of the maze, where Ninja sat on a stool, a volume of the _Sailor Moon_ manga in his hands.

“I’m here!” Dan announced, planting the last of his flag markers into the soft soil. “I made it, Ninja! And look, my monitor isn’t making a peep!” 

*I’m very pleased to see that, Dan* Ninja announced, standing up as his manga vanished in a puff of smoke. *You did very well in the task of caring for yourself.* 

Dan couldn’t help but beam with pride at Ninja’s words. “I can’t wait to tell Kid about this. It was tough, but it actually turned out to be kind of a fun mission. I’m used to going on walks so I had the stamina for it.”

Ninja smiled at him. *You aren’t the first to call this mission fun. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Dan.* 

“Oh, did 90s Kid have to find his way to the center too?” Dan wondered. 

*Not just him, but every member of the team has participated in this challenge.*

“I bet Kid had the fastest time finding the center-after you, of course,” Dan corrected, knowing how much Ninja enjoyed having his ego stroked. “He has a great amount of stamina as well, and a pretty good sense of direction.”

*You would be right about that. 90s Kid was the fastest to complete this mission after myself.*

“I knew it. What was his time, if you don’t mind me asking? Did he do it in under half an hour?“ Dan wondered. “I wouldn’t put it past him, since he can be very determined when wants to be.” 

*Actually, Dan, 90s Kid, as well as the rest of the team, completed the task in about five minutes.* 

“Wow, that’s so-they what?!” Dan looked stunned, wondering how on earth something like that was possible. “All of them? I-I mean, sure I can see you and Kid doing that, maybe Linkara too, but even Harvey? And Linksano?”

Ninja nodded and pointed to the blasting weapons and rocket launchers scattered about the grass. *They used those items from the very start to destroy the walls of the maze and get to the middle more quickly. 90s Kid, if I recall, pretty much burned the whole wall down thanks to that BFG he loves so much.*

“But-but I thought you said shooting off guns was a bad idea in these missions!” Dan tried to argue, feeling confused and slightly annoyed at what appeared to be contradictory information. 

*I did not say there was a limitation on shooting this time* Ninja explained calmly. *The purpose of this exercise was to simulate a real emergency situation and see how creative you were at solving the dilemma posed to you. At times we have found ourselves in desperate situations and in need of escape, which is why it’s pertinent to be flexible when thinking up solutions to problems. There is a reason I had weapons provided to you at the beginning of the course and it wasn’t to trick you, Dan.* 

“Oh.” Dan’s cheeks colored with embarrassment and he trembled slightly as he looked down to the grass. He’d gone from righteous indignation to burning humiliation in ten seconds flat. “Of course. Leave it to me to miss something that obvious. Story of my life,” Dan said in a low voice, his hands clenching into fists.

Ninja’s expression grew concerned. *Dan, it’s alright. This was only an exercise to help stimulate your creativity. People have a habit of approaching a problem from only one or two perspectives, but activities like this one can help them learn that there are many ways to complete a task, even if those ways are unconventional. Even the members of this team took some time to figure out the best way to find the middle of the maze.* 

“But you said it took them all about five minutes!” Dan countered. 

*Well, yes, but they did take longer to think about the tools I had set out before them. When Harvey studied the supplies during his test, he tried to use smaller guns to make dents in the bushes at first before switching to the rocket launcher, and Linksano took almost twenty minutes examining the lasers before selecting one perfectly suited for destroying the foliage.* 

“So instead of rushing through the part that inquired intelligence, everyone else took their time to figure things out, and then in the part that required speed, they made it to the goal without wasting half an hour of their life,” Dan summed up glumly. “It seems like I failed in just about every aspect of this one.” 

*Dan, you did not fail* Ninja insisted. *The only way you could fail would be to push yourself too hard again. Since you didn’t, you not only passed the mission but learned some valuable information about thinking through puzzles in different ways. That is very much a victory in my book.* Ninja smiled again, hoping Dan would return it, but instead the smaller man sighed and sat down. 

The grass beneath his fingertips vanished, leaving the two inside the empty Holodeck once again. “That ’victory’ feels like a giant loss to me,” he muttered, clenching his fists even tighter this time. 

Ninja shook his head a little, not sure of how to cheer Dan up. *Why don’t you take another moment to rest, Dan. I will go see if 90s Kid is available and then you two can start another training session together. You might be more comfortable with him.* 

“No.“ Dan suddenly stood up and looked into Ninja’s eyes in grim determination. “Give me another test. I’ll pass this one, I swear it.” Dan couldn’t bear to face 90s Kid after this many defeats; there had to be something he could succeed at before he was reunited with his fiancé.

Ninja gave Dan a keen, searching look, wondering for a moment if it would be a mistake to give Dan another chance and risk him falling further, but he knew that Dan wished to prove himself so he nodded. 

*Very well, Dan. I shall give you another test. Take a few more minutes to rest, as this test will also be physical. No weapons needed, but you will need to be swift.* Dan nodded and fought not to bounce and twitch around with energy as he pretended to rest for a few minutes before the next illusion came into their surroundings. 

*This is an obstacle course of my own design. It is intended for beginners so you shouldn’t have much trouble with it.* Ninja pointed to a large red flag at the end of the course. *I will monitor your time. The course will be complete once you pass each obstacle and reach the flag. Are you ready, Dan?* 

Dan nodded, taking his stance at the beginning of the course. “I’m ready!” 

*On your mark. Get set. Go!* Ninja held up as he began his stopwatch. Dan took off with a newfound determination to finally succeed in his training. He leapt over the initial hurdles with ease, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he realized he was off to a decent start, and his monitor wasn’t making a sound. Maybe he was finally starting to get the hang of this; maybe he’d finally be able to greet Ninja and 90s Kid and the others with his head held high. 

After running down a hill, Dan approached a creek with several flat stones scattered across it, leaping onto each one with surprising ease and making it over without falling before hurrying to the next part of the course. 

_“I told him I could do this,“_ Dan thought to himself gleefully. _“I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees how quickly I made it through.”_

What Dan faced next was a tree surrounded by a gigantic pool of mud with a rope dangling from one branch. In order to descend the hill, you either had to swing across the rope, or cover yourself in mud as you waded through the waist-deep puddle. Dan narrowed his eyes and clapped his hands together before leaping from the edge of the pool and clinging desperately to the rope. By some miracle he managed to hold tight to it and swing across the murky moat, landing on a gigantic air mattress on the other side.

Dan laughed joyfully, feeling like a kid on a playground again as he hurried up the opposing hill and toward a row of tires set out in front of him. He paused for a drink of water, since his health did come first, before he utilized his old hop-scotch skills to make it through with ease. 

“Nothing can stop me,” he told himself as he jogged across a grassy field. “I’m going to make it. I’m going to make them all proud.” Dan’s eyes widened slightly when he saw what was next, a wooden rectangular frame standing ten feet tall with cargo nets criss-crossing in between it. “I can climb that, no sweat,” Dan declared as he pulled himself up the net. Unfortunately, in his haste to ascend to the top, Dan stopped paying attention to his lower extremities and got his left foot twisted in one of the square spaces of netting. 

“Huh? Darn it.” Dan tugged his foot a few times before he yelped at the sudden burst of pain in his ankle. “Oh crap. No, no, don’t be twisted,” he moaned, reaching down now to try and detangle himself by hand. This however had the effect of tangling his arms within the net somehow as well. “Damn it. Damn it! Let me go!” Dan started yanking on the netting a bit more violently, growling under his breath with every refusal of freedom he received. Eventually he ended up twisting his body into a pretzel, with his head trapped underneath his left leg somehow, and his arms pinned behind his back. Each helpless yank for freedom became significantly more erratic and painful. 

“Ow! Damn it! No, let go! I was so close!” In desperation, Dan started biting at the netting in an attempt to free himself, but his teeth were nowhere near strong enough to break through the fibers. Dan’s heart started to race and he could hear the beeps of his monitor increase in volume, but he refused to call for help. He could not let anyone see him in this shameful state. He was not a loser anymore. He would not let 90s Kid down.

Dan continued to groan and struggle and hiss in pain as his movements grew more forceful. “Ow! Damn it! Grrr, come on! Just let me go!”

His chest was starting to ache with how much he was struggling, and he strained as hard as he could to get himself free. He ended up tearing a hole in the net and he yelped as he nearly fell through it, hanging on only through the strength of his still-caught ankle. Dan panted as he clung to the netting and painfully pulled himself back up toward the top of the structure, managing to finally free all of his limbs in the process. Dan’s body ached, each gasp of breath causing him to cough incessantly; he knew that he had more to do but his damned body refused to move. 

_“Come on, come on, hurry up,”_ he thought, painfully making his way forward. _"You’ve already wasted enough time being a moron...stop making an ass of yourself!”_

The beeping of his monitor was so loud now it was making his ears ring, but Dan tried valiantly to ignore it as he finally collapsed over the top of the rectangular structure, landing on a second large air mattress situated on the other side. 

“Damn it...get up...get up, you idiot!” He derided himself through clenched teeth, but his body was much too exhausted to listen to his mind now. Dan closed his eyes and grit his teeth harder before he forced himself to roll over, landing with a thud on the grass, which was much less soft than it had been before. He reached out in front of him, fingers digging into the dirt, intent on crawling to the finish line if he had to. 

_“Come on, almost there! Stop it! You don’t have time for this! Why are you so stupid and helpless?”_

Dan panted heavily, his entire body sore and drenched with sweat, before reaching out one trembling hand.

“Dan! Don’t you dare move another inch!”

Before Dan could even react to this sudden command, he felt his body being lifted into someone’s arms. He squinted again, his vision somewhat blurry now, before realizing he was looking into the face of 90s Kid. 

“Kid? No...I was...so close...put...me down...” 

“Are you out of your mind?! You’re coming with me to Linksano right now, dude!” 

Dan winced at the harsh tone 90s Kid was using, shriveling up in the other man’s arms like a frightened turtle. “O...okay, Kid...okay...” Whenever Kid spoke to him like this, he knew there was nothing to do but obey.

The two were immediately teleported into Linksano’s lab, where the scientist looked up in alarm at the harsh beeping of the heart monitor. 

“Dear Tesla, Dan, how long has it been sounding like that?! Lay him on the examination table, quickly!” 

90s Kid did as instructed and Linksano quickly strapped a blood pressure cuff across Dan’s arm, squeezing it as he pressed his stethoscope to Dan’s chest to listen to his heartbeat. 

“Your heartbeat is nearly irregular. If you hadn’t stopped when you had it could have been far worse. I’m going to give you a corrective agent to slow down your heart rate and increase your breathing capacity. You may feel a slight dropping sensation in your chest, but it’s nothing unusual.” Linksano tied off Dan’s arm to get at a vein before injecting him, causing Dan to start gasping slightly as he felt a tingling sensation spread through his arm and into his torso. Linksano removed the rubber band around his arm and looked down at Dan seriously. “You were extremely reckless, Dan. I gave you that heart monitor because I intended you to listen to it, not so that you could ignore it for the sake of pushing yourself too far.” 

Dan took in deep breaths, closing his eyes as he felt a cold wave of shame run through him. “Just...wanted...to finish…and not...be weak...” he murmured. “Didn’t want...you all... to think...I couldn’t do it...”

“Well, if you wanted us to not think of you as weak, pushing your body to the point of frailty had the absolute opposite affect!” Linksano snapped as he continued to study Dan, monitoring his body for any signs distress. “The point of working on this team is to save others, not to lose yourself to some misguided sense of pride. Honestly, Dan-” 

“Dude.” Linksano paused when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up to find 90s Kid staring at him intently. “Is Dan gonna be okay?” His usually ruddy cheeks were pale and his fingers trembled a little, which worked to calm Linksano down rather quickly. 

“As far as I can tell, yes, but Dan was very lucky this time. In the future, he might not be able to handle putting such a strain on his heart.” 

“But for now, he’s okay?” 

Linksano nodded. “Yes, 90s Kid, he’s going to be okay.”

90s Kid pulled Linksano into a hug. “Thanks, dude. I totally owe you.” 

Linksano stiffly patted 90s Kid on the back. “It’s alright. I’m just doing my duty as a doctor. Think nothing of it.” Linksano shot Dan another look then. “Although you should start thinking more about the consequences of your actions.”

“I’m sorry,” Dan responded in a tiny voice. 

Linksano sighed. “I suppose I should let you have some time to rest. 90s Kid, I’ll leave him in your care for now.” 

“Thanks again, Linksano.” 90s Kid watched as the scientist stepped out of his room before he went over to the table and sat down on the edge, one hand gently combing through Dan’s hair. “You totally scared me out there, Dan,” he murmured, voice calm now that his fear had abated. “You know you’re not supposed to do junk like this. What were you thinking? Did you really think we’d call you weak if you couldn’t do one stupid obstacle course?”

Dan sighed as he felt 90s Kid’s warm fingers running through his hair and started to relax. “I’m so sorry, Kid,” he began, his voice still tiny and weak. He turned his head away a bit so he wouldn’t have to look into his fiancés face. “I just made so many mistakes training with Ninja, and I felt so stupid after failing every mission that he tried to give me…I was just desperate to show you all that I could do it, since if I f-fail all of them, and I can’t manage to finish even one, then Linkara will realize that I’m not good enough and I…I…” 

90s Kid saw the tears forming in Dan’s eyes and swiftly but gently maneuvered them so that Dan was cradled in his lap. Dan rested his head on 90s Kid’s shoulder and tried his best not to break down completely.

“Dan, of course you’re good enough,” 90s Kid soothed, rubbing Dan’s back to calm him down. “You’re so strong, dude, and even though your body is weak, you’re doing your best to make it stronger. I made a ton of mistakes when I first started training too,” 90s Kid admitted, and Dan looked up at him curiously. “We all did at the start, except Ninja-dude. It took a long time to get as good as we are now, so stop trying to think you can do it all at once, okay? You need to slow down and take care of yourself.“ 90s Kid placed a hand over Dan’s heart and choked up a little as he felt it beat. “I don’t ever wanna see you fall down like that again. Please, dude, promise me you won’t push yourself that hard anymore. You helped me when my heart got hurt, so let me help you now, okay?” 

Dan couldn’t help letting a few tears show before he nodded and put his own shaking hand over 90s Kid’s heart. “I will, Kid, I promise. I’ll take care of myself for you. I love you, Kid.” 

“I love you too, Dan.” 90s Kid tenderly wiped away his tears and the two shared several kisses before they heard the door to the lab open once again. 90s Kid craned his neck to see Harvey and Linkara coming down the stairs, instinctively holding Dan even tighter in his arms.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Harvey cheerfully greeted, hoping his bright attitude would help lighten the mood. “I hope we aren’t interrupting anything.” 

“Just me taking a necessary rest,” Dan replied, sliding his usual grin back into place. “I might have overdone it a touch earlier.” 

“Hey, it happens to the best of us,” Harvey replied, patting Dan on the shoulder. “I remember one time when the doc was so determined to find a Sonic Screwdriver in a haystack; he ended up blowing a hole in his laboratory. The Kid and Blue really chewed his head off about that one.” 

While Harvey and Dan chuckled at the anecdote, 90s Kid remained silently watching Linkara, his arms still encircling Dan’s torso. Linkara seemed to notice the attention and he offered a half-smile. 

“It’s weird seeing you look so serious, 90s Kid. I’m half tempted to think you’ve been replaced by a robot duplicate.” 

“That’d be the first time you spotted one of those,” Harvey muttered, earning a swat on the arm from Linkara. 

“Are you here to talk to Dan?” 90s Kid asked in a solemn tone.

Linkara’s smile faded and he nodded. “That’s right. And I’d prefer it if it were just the two of us talking.” 

“But I-” 

“Kid.” Dan squeezed 90s Kid’s hand and looked up at him. “It’s okay. I can handle whatever he has to tell me.” 

“Can we talk in my office?” Linkara asked before frowning slightly. “If you can move, that is. If not, here is fine.” 

“I can move.” Dan gently unwrapped 90s Kid’s arms from his body and stood up. 

“Alright.” Linkara pulled out his transporter and touched Dan’s arm. “This shouldn’t take long.”


	5. Chapter 5

Dan and Linkara materialized in Linkara’s office, and Dan swayed a bit after being transported, but managed to remain standing. 

“Please, sit down,” Linkara said politely, noticing that Dan was still feeling weak. “I just want to have a talk with you, Dan.” 

Dan swallowed and sat down in the chair across from Linkara’s desk, wondering what that phrase could possibly be code for. Linkara stood in front of him and gave Dan a serious gaze, one that the 80s lover fought to hold without wavering. “Ninja-Style Dancer told me that you pushed yourself too hard during training today. He saw you collapse and went to get 90s Kid.” 

Dan sighed. “Yeah, that’s right. You don’t need to rub it in, Linkara.” 

“I’m not rubbing it in; I’m trying to ask if you’re okay.” 

Dan blinked in surprise but quickly tried to shrug it off. “Yeah, I’m fine. Linksano already took care of it.” 

Linkara looked like he had more to say, but a beeping noise from above drew his attention. 

“Linkara.”

“What is it, Nimue?” 

“This unit requires your assistance at the control panel. This unit is currently upgrading the security system as per your orders and needs you to enter the override codes.” 

“Can’t you get Pollo to do it?” 

“Pollo is currently at Spoony’s house. He said something about updating Burton’s motherboard.”

Linkara sighed. “That’s what he said last time. I’ll be right there.” 

Linkara looked at Dan apologetically. “Sorry, I have to go take care of this. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes. Would you mind waiting here?”

Dan nodded. _“What’s a few more minutes when you’re waiting for the firing squad?”_ he thought dryly as Linkara teleported from the office.

Once he was alone, Dan dropped all semblances of a happy façade and buried his face in his hands. 

_“Good job, Dan. Once again you’ve screwed everything up. Why do you even try to do things when you already know what the outcome will be?”_ He ran his fingers through his hair and looked around at the office, searching for any distraction to focus on until the inevitable disappointment came. 

Unfortunately Linkara’s office was neat and tidy, with almost every item stored in a protective covering. It was the exact opposite of Dan’s room, where McDonald’s toys and VHS tapes were strewn about willy-nilly. Here, everything had a proper place, everything belonged. This was a foreign concept to Dan...he’d never really belonged anywhere. 

The only item that looked even slightly askew was a highly polished wooden box resting on the edge of Linkara’s desk. The box itself seemed to be in perfect condition, but the lid was only half-covering the opening, as if it had been hastily dropped on top of the box. Dan ran a finger along the finish, admiring how smooth and shiny it was, before curiosity got the best of him and he peeked at the contents inside. 

“Hmm,“ Dan murmured as he caught sight of what seemed to be a long, green feather. “I wonder what this is for.” He picked up the feather and studied it, noting how soft the bristles were and how the item ended in a strange point. “Is this one of those old-timey writing doohickeys?” Dan wondered, twirling the quill between his fingers in a haphazard manner. “I didn’t know Linkara was a collector. Well, maybe this day isn’t a total loss, since now I know what to get him for his birthday.”

Dan continued to twirl the quill around in his fingers until Linkara teleported back into the room. Linkara’s eyes instantly widened. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” 

“What?” Dan jumped in his chair, startled, and looked up uncertainly at Linkara. “N-nothing, Linkara. Just waiting for you.” 

“And going through my things!” Linkara snapped as he stormed across the room and snatched the quill from Dan’s hands. “How could you just pick this up without even asking me if it was okay?” 

“I’m sorry,” Dan quickly replied. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just looking at it.” 

“Do you know what kind of havoc you could have caused by playing with this?!” Linkara continued to yell. “You could have put us all in a world of misery, Dan! What the hell is wrong with you?” 

This last part slipped out without Linkara meaning it to, but Dan, who had already been on edge, took it like a dagger to the heart. 

“What’s wrong with me?” he cried. “A lot of things! I’m a huge screw-up! A pathetic loser with a broken body and a broken mind! An idiot who thought he could actually make something of his life! Isn’t that funny, Linkara? I think I might be the world’s biggest joke!” Dan let out a bitter laugh. “And even though I knew all of this, I still thought I could have you fire me with dignity, but once again the joke’s on me, since apparently you don’t even trust me enough to leave me alone with your favorite feather! I must be downright hilarious in your eyes!” 

Linkara frowned at Dan’s outburst, some of his anger melting away. “Dan, I…don’t say stuff like that. I’m sorry for snapping like I did before, but I was just upset because you were holding…” He bit his lip and considered something for a moment. “I was upset because you were holding a very powerful magical item,” he finally explained, gently holding out his hands so Dan could see the quill resting on his palms. “This item is so dangerous and so powerful that I don’t want it to be touched by anyone, not even myself. That’s why I was on the verge of magically sealing it away for good. I just happened to get interrupted before I could start the spell.” 

Dan glanced down at the item skeptically. “You’re telling me that this feather is a powerful weapon.” 

“It’s a quill, and yes,” Linkara said with a nod. “Actually, this is the item that we all went in search of back in January. It took us months but we finally managed to acquire it before another sorceress could. I’m trying to keep information about this on the down-low, though, so I’m trusting you to keep your mouth shut, Dan.” Linkara tried to offer the older man a smile, but to his surprise, Dan was now glaring at him. 

“That…that stupid feather is the reason I couldn’t see 90s Kid for three months?” he asked, anger dripping from his words. “I almost relapsed and lost everything because of a damn feather?!” 

“It’s a quill,” Linkara tried to reiterate, but Dan was too upset to listen. 

“I can’t believe this! You still think I’m an idiot who will believe anything you tell me! Well, Linkara, maybe you didn’t get the memo but I’m sober again, so your little story about magical feathers isn’t going to work on me!” 

“I’m telling you the truth, Dan!” Linkara insisted, his fingers clenching tightly along the soft shaft. “I don’t think you’re an idiot at all! That’s why I’m letting you in on how dangerous this is!” 

“I can’t believe I ever thought you’d take me seriously.” Dan glared into Linkara’s eyes, his own burning brightly with anger. “I should have known that I’d always be Dan the drug-addled idiot in your eyes.” 

“Argh, would you just shut up!” Linkara stomped around to the other side of his desk, pulled a notebook from one of the drawers, and opened it to a blank page. “If you won’t listen to me, then I’ll prove it to you!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Dan asked, wondering why Linkara was insisting on keeping up this façade, but Linkara didn’t even look up to respond as he scribbled a sentence onto the paper.

_80s Dan hates 90s Kid._

Linkara looked up and watched intently as Dan’s body twitched. He blinked his eyes and placed a hand to his head, almost as though he were greatly confused about something, but after a minute he settled down and appeared normal again. 

“So, I believe we were talking about how 90s Kid went to check on you during training?” Linkara asked in a neutral tone.

Instead of his expression lighting up as it usually did whenever 90s Kid was mentioned, a very sour scowl crossed Dan’s face. 

“Oh, him. Who the hell does he think he is? He doesn’t have to keep butting in and telling me what to do.” 

“I thought you loved 90s Kid?” 

“Are you kidding me? Who would want to hang around with some annoying teenager who yells about crappy comics and movies all day? I don’t know how you can stand being with him all the time.”

Linkara knew that Dan was under the power of the quill, but it was still astounding to him to hear such words coming from his mouth. “What about all the things that 90s Kid’s done for you?” 

Dan rolled his eyes. “I was doing him a favor by letting him hang around. Who would want to spend more than five minutes with that idiot?” 

Linkara winced and was beginning to think he’d gone too far. This was all making him feel incredibly uncomfortable and somewhat guilty about interfering in something he never should have intruded upon.

Dan looked down at his hand and suddenly noticed the silver and garnet band on his finger, a wave of revulsion rising up inside him. For a confused moment, he tried to think of 90s Kid’s face, how the teen had looked when he placed it on his finger, but the memory quickly faded. His hand twitched and he was on the verge of yanking the ring off and throwing it as far away as possible, but by that point Linkara had crossed out the first sentence and written a second.

_80s Dan loves 90s Kid._

Instantly a look of horror washed over Dan’s face and he felt as if he’d been kicked in the chest. 

“Oh my God! What did I just say? W-why did I say that? Why did I feel that? I love Kid; I love him more than anyone! But all of a sudden I felt like I...I...”

“Like you hated him?” Linkara asked. Dan nodded, still too stunned to think properly, so Linkara ripped out the page from his notebook and handed it over. “You felt that way, Dan, because I wrote that you felt that way.”

Dan stared at the words scrawled across the page, first the scribbled out statement of hatred, followed by the statement of love. “You wrote...that I hate 90s Kid...” 

“I wanted to prove that I wasn’t lying,” Linkara replied calmly. “I’m sorry for going about it in such a harsh way, but this was the best method I could come up with to show you how dangerous this ’little feather’ really is.” 

Dan looked up and stared at the quill once again. Everything Linkara had told him was true. It was an extremely powerful and dangerous weapon. His hands clenched into fists as he thought about how that quill had made him hate 90s Kid and before he realized it, Dan had ripped the paper into tiny shreds. Only when the pieces were fluttering onto the floor did he notice the mess. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” 

“Eh, I can get Pollo to clean it up,” Linkara said with a shrug. 

Dan’s eyes widened again. “Wait, did ripping up the paper negate the words or something? D-did it make me forget that I love 90s Kid again?” 

“No, Dan,“ Linkara quickly reassured the man. “The destruction of the medium does not negate the weight of the words. Only by writing different words can we affect reality.”

Dan paused and closed his eyes, thinking about 90s Kid just to be certain. When he felt that surge of warmth in his chest that only the teen could produce, he was satisfied that his love for 90s Kid remained unblemished. When Dan opened his eyes again, he looked to Linkara curiously. “Why did you tell me about all of this?” he couldn’t help but wonder. “Do you really trust me to keep this a secret?” 

Linkara met his gaze evenly. “Yes, Dan, I do. I wouldn’t be inviting you to be a part of my team if I didn’t.” 

Dan’s brows furrowed in confusion. “But I thought you brought me up here to fire me.”

“I brought you up here to show you just what you’d be getting into,” Linkara said, his expression growing a little kinder. “This job is dangerous. We’ve dealt with threats that nearly erased the Earth’s population. We’ve almost been killed on a yearly basis. Sometimes enemies are going to use magic instead of bullets, and we need to be strong enough to resist it and fight against it. I know that you’re determined to work hard, and I think you’re up to it, but that doesn’t mean I want you pushing yourself past your limit. I didn’t have to stumble into Linksano’s lab to know that you’re not in the greatest health, but I've never let a thing like being out-of-shape stop me from recruiting teammates before. As long as you're willing to take care of yourself, then we won’t have a problem.” 

Dan ran a hand through his hair. “I understand. I swear to you, a day like today will never happen again. I don’t want to put myself through that agony again...I also don’t want to put Kid through it,” he added softly. 

“Good.” Linkara smiled confidently at him again. “I know your desire to protect 90s Kid is very strong, Dan, but I hope you remember that you’re not just protecting 90s Kid. You’re protecting me, the team, and the entirety of the planet Earth, so you need to prepare yourself for the possibility of facing any and all types of threats. Do you feel like you can do that, Dan?” 

Dan looked at Linkara with great surprise before he slowly started to smile as well. He put out his hand and looked the hero in the eye. “I went into this saying I would do anything and I meant it. You can count on me, Linkara.” There was a part of Dan that did feel scared, but it only made his resolve to protect 90s Kid stronger. “I’ve never been good at much, and I don’t really know how to fight, but I want to learn. I can do it for him.” Dan told him, feeling that same surge of warmth as he thought about 90s Kid.

Linkara took Dan’s hand and shook it. “I admire that sentiment, but don’t just do this for the sake of someone else, Dan. Do it for yourself as well. Protecting 90s Kid is part of this job, but so is protecting everyone else, including you, Dan.” 

“Right, right,” Dan quickly agreed, feeling much better about things. “In fact, I’m ready right now to get back out there with Ninja or Kid, or whoever is ready to train me! I can’t wait to become a stronger, better fighter!”

“I’m afraid that we’re going to have call it a day when it comes to training, Dan,” Linkara explained as he stepped back around his desk, his expression growing stern. “I want you at home and resting for a few days before you return here, and when you do, you are going to be very carefully monitored by Ninja. At the first signs of you overtaxing your body, you will be pulled from the exercise and sent home. I do not want a repeat of this day happening ever again or you are going to face a punishment. Do you understand?” 

Dan opened his mouth to protest, but Linkara’s hardened expression quenched the last of the fire from his chest. “Yes, sir, I understand. I won’t let another day like today happen.“

“Good. Oh, and you don’t have to call me sir,” Linkara said as he sat back down in his chair. “Unless you’d really like to,” he added with a smile. 

Dan smiled back. “If it’s a direct order from the team leader, I have no problem with it.” 

Linkara rubbed at his chin a moment. “That does have a nice ring to it. Maybe I should make that an official team mandate.” 

“Like, no way Jose!” The door to the office suddenly swung open as 90s Kid barged inside, while Harvey, who had obviously been cupping his ear against the wood, struggled to keep from falling over. “There is no way I am calling you sir, and Dan isn’t either, so don’t even think about it!” 90s Kid declared. 

Linkara laughed and leaned back in his seat. “I thought that might get you two to reveal yourselves.”

“Sorry, Kid,” Harvey said once he finally managed to straighten up again. “You know what they say about cats and curiosity.” 

“How long were you listening?“ Dan glanced at 90s Kid nervously, worried he’d heard that terrible moment when he’d been affected by the quill. 

“Only for a minute, I swear,” 90s Kid answered, looking more at Linkara than Dan. “I just wanted to be sure you weren’t ripping Dan’s head off or anything.”

“Nah, I like his head where it is. Besides, if I would rip anything off, I’d take his arms so Pollo would get off my back.” 

90s Kid pulled Dan into a protective hug, causing Harvey and Linkara to laugh. 90s Kid was surprised when Dan latched onto him even harder than usual, looking at him in surprise. 

“You okay, dude?”

“I’m just fine, Kid,” Dan said, feeling immense gratitude that 90s Kid hadn’t overheard those horrible words from before. “I’m actually really glad that Linkara and I managed to work things out.”

“That’s right. Everything’s straightened out and Dan’s been updated on all essential team information.” Harvey nodded in understanding, taking a puff on his e-cigarette, before Linkara’s stern look returned. “I also gave Dan an order to take a few days of rest at home before returning for any more training. 90s Kid, I order you to see to it that he gets escorted home and doesn’t strain himself for anything. Got it?”

“You got it, dude!”

Before Dan could even think of protesting, not that he would have in the slightest, 90s Kid had scooped the older man up into his arms and pulled the teleporter from his pocket. The two vanished and Harvey settled into Dan’s previously occupied seat.

“So, everything’s hunky-dory between you two?” he asked lightly before taking another puff of his e-cigarette. 

“Everything’s just fine, Harvey,“ Linkara told him. “It might take Dan a while before he truly understands what it’s like to work on this team, but I think today was an important step for him.” 

“I’m sure he’ll pick up what you’re laying down soon enough,” Harvey agreed as he flashed his million-watt grin at Linkara. “You can be very inspirational when you put your mind to it...sir.” 

Linkara quickly blushed. “D-don’t call me that, Harvey, I was just kidding around earlier.” 

Harvey set down his cigarette and walked around the desk to stand behind Linkara, resting his hands atop his shoulders. “Ah, but you see, a military man like myself never kids around when it comes to his commanding officer. I would do anything to please you, sir...shine your shoes...iron your dress whites...massage every aching muscle on your body-” 

“My room, five minutes!” 

“Sir yes sir!”

\-----

“Kid, you don’t have to carry me everywhere, okay? I can walk,” Dan tried to insist half-heartedly as he was carried up the stairs and into his bedroom after finishing his dinner. Ever since 90s Kid had brought him home, he’d been continuously doting on him as though he were delicate as glass, though Dan couldn’t say truthfully that he wasn’t enjoying it.

“No way, dude. Linkara ordered you to take it easy and that is what you’re gonna do.” 90s Kid sat Dan down on his bed and began to strip his fiancé of his clothes so he could be dressed in his pajamas. 

“I hope that Linkara and the others aren’t too disappointed in me,” Dan said uncertainly as 90s Kid helped him out of his jacket and shirt. “I was hoping that I’d have a much better first day than this.”

“The only reason they’d be disappointed is cuz they’re worried about your health, dude,” 90s Kid replied as he helped pull Dan’s pajama top over his head. “That’s what’s most important. It doesn’t matter if you weren’t totally awesome at training, cuz everyone has bad days now and then.” 

Now feeling very comfortable in his night clothes, Dan slumped down on his bed and sighed. 

“It’s not that I wasn’t totally awesome, Kid. It was that I was a complete and utter failure at everything I tried. I wasn’t fast enough, smart enough, or just good enough in general.” 

90s Kid, now dressed in his own pajamas, settled down on the bed beside Dan and wrapped his arms around him, pulling the smaller man close. “What are you talking about?” he murmured, nuzzling Dan’s head softly. “You’re always good enough, Dan. Making a few mistakes doesn’t mean you’re bad, it just means you’re still learning. And now that you’ve learned stuff today, you won’t make those mistakes next time. That’s the whole point of training, dude. We all make mistakes, and then we learn how to be better from them.” 

“I didn’t just make mistakes during training, Kid.” 

90s Kid stopped his affectionate nuzzling to peer down at Dan in confusion. “What do you mean?” 

Dan’s expression grew guilty and he looked away from 90s Kid’s gaze. “When Linkara wanted to talk to me in his office, I acted like an idiot. I was yelling at him about things I didn’t fully understand and making a real jerk of myself, and...and worst of all, I touched something I shouldn’t have.” 

“What did you touch?” 90s Kid wondered, knowing that Linkara didn’t keep any weapons or valuables in his office. “His computer?” 

“No, I...I touched that pen. The feathery one that you went to find at the beginning of the year,” Dan admitted softly.

“You touched that?!” 90s Kid asked in disbelief. 

“I know, I was a huge idiot,“ Dan admitted, still looking rather ashamed. “But luckily Linkara was there to knock some sense into me. I understand now that I can’t just walk into a situation and mess around like I’m used to doing. I have to wise up and take things seriously, or else I might mess up something more important than a few stupid training exercises.” 

Dan pressed a hand to his chest as he remembered the horrifying sensation of hating 90s Kid and shuddered automatically. 

90s Kid frowned and hugged him closer. “Are you feeling okay, dude? Is it your heart? Does it hurt or something?” 

“No, it’s fine. I am totally fine because you’re here with me,” Dan admitted as he snuggled closer to the teen. 

To his surprise, 90s Kid felt strangely tense all of a sudden, and from pressing against his chest, Dan could feel the quickened beat of his heart. He looked up into the teen’s eyes in concern.

“Sweetie, are you alright?”

“I just...I thought you might be hurting again,” he murmured, unable to look Dan in the eyes. “Your heart...it’s easy to hurt it...really easy...I was really scared today, Dan...I thought you might hurt so much that your heart would...would stop w-working...”

“I’m so sorry I scared you,” Dan said, pressing his hands to 90s Kid’s cheeks to cup his face. He stared into the terrified eyes of the man he loved and felt true shame for his earlier actions. “I am so bad at a lot of things, Kid. I’m used to failure and I have no problem with just quitting when I feel like it’s pointless to try. I’ve fully accepted that, including that fact that I’m even terrible when it comes to taking care of myself, but I always thought that I’d at least be good at making you happy and...well, it turns out I’m even bad at doing that.”

90s Kid’s grip around him tightened. “I...I don’t want to lose you, Dan. I want all the people I love to stay...to stay with me...please Dan, you have to stay with me.”

“I will,” Dan promised, bending down to kiss 90s Kid’s forehead. “If I could pledge the rest of my life to you right now, Kid, then I would, without a doubt. I will never leave you. I would never even want to.”

“I don't want that either.” 

The two remained in a tight embrace for some time, each reflecting on the matters they had no need to speak of. Eventually 90s Kid was able to relax enough that Dan could move again, but he remained as close to the younger man as possible.

“I promise you, Kid, that next time I won’t screw up,” he vowed in a soft but strong voice. “I won’t let myself be hurt and I won’t let you be hurt either. I’m going to show you, Linkara, and everyone that their faith in me is not misplaced.” 

90s Kid smiled a little at Dan’s determination and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Next time I’m gonna be there with you, making sure you’re not going overboard, dude.”

“You’ve always been so good to me,” Dan murmured, kissing 90s Kid back and setting off a chain reaction of several more smooches between them. “You’ve helped me find a strength I was never sure I had, Kid. I know I’m only going to get stronger thanks to you.” 

90s Kid smiled, pulling Dan down onto the bed with him and placing the covers over them. “You’ve always had that strength in you, Dan. I just helped you find it.” 

Dan smiled and rested his head on 90s Kid’s chest as the teen reached to turn out the light. “I’m gonna finally try to believe that, Kid. After I take it nice and easy for the next few days, that is.” 

90s Kid yawned. “Good, cuz I could use a rest too after today. I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow, ‘kay? Harvey’s been teaching me to make a lot of good, healthy stuff so I really wanna show off for you.” 

Dan’s lips curled up into a grin while his eyes slid closed. “I bet you two make quite a team in the kitchen.”

“Totally.” 90s Kid’s hand found Dan’s in the dark, thumb rubbing over the ring that hadn’t left his finger since 90s Kid first placed it there. “Maybe one day you can come over for breakfast. It’d be nice to...I dunno…have a real family meal with everyone…or whatever...” 

Dan knew it was hard for 90s Kid to talk about certain things he deeply desired, so he gently pressed his lips to the teen’s chest and kissed it lovingly. “I’d love to do that. Your family is amazing and I hope that one day they care about me as much as they care about you.” 

Even in darkness, Dan could see the bliss on 90s Kid’s face. “Love you, Dan.” 

“Love you too, sweetie.”


End file.
